One Crazy Night
by Roxey
Summary: After another mundane day at the office, Elena decides to blow off a little steam in order to help her get over Tseng's obvious disinterest. But a night at the bar turns into something unexpected... ElenaxSurprise
1. Chapter 1

Hello All! This is my first Advent Children fanfic, so bear with me. It takes place after the movie. The idea for this just popped into my head and I decided to write it down. This first chapter is kind of a teaser of sorts, but I really like where it's heading, so I'm going to try to update pretty regularly. And I've always wondered what would happen if Elena ended up with someone other than Tseng...

Light pierced through the hazy darkness that enveloped Elena. Groaning slightly, she squeezed her eyes shut, begging the gods to make the light go away. The gods must have had it in for her, because of instead of making the light go away, it only further aggravated the pain already throbbing in her head.

"Stupid sun," she muttered quietly, covering her eyes with her hand. Blinking rapidly, she managed to work her eyes open slightly. She laid still on her back in the bed, staring at her palm and allowing her eyes to adjust to the harsh morning light that pierced through the blinds on the window. Vague memories of the night before flinted through her throbbing mind as the alcohol induced haze started to clear up. All she could really remember was being pissed at Tseng, again, and then going to some seedy little bar to drown her sorrows and getting hit on by some ignorant blonde guy. Everything after that was a blur.

Feeling confident enough that she wouldn't be blinded by the light, Elena removed her hand from her eyes and stared up at the ceiling. A ceiling that she quickly realized wasn't hers.

"_Oh god," _she thought, slightly panicked. She suddenly became acutely aware of everything around her. The softness of the sheets around her naked body, of her right foot which was exposed to the warm sunlight bathing the room, of the body lying next to her, slightly touching her left side. She wanted to turn her head to see who exactly she had made it home with, but part of her felt she already knew. The other part was afraid if she was right. The body stirred. Elena shut her eyes and willed her body to relax and appear asleep. The body turned over and an arm found its way around her waist over the sheet.

"_Ew, ew, ew! Unhand me, you foul beast!"_ Elena screamed in her mind.

"I know you're awake," a very sleepy, but familiar voice said. The bout of mental screaming ceased. Elena felt her body relax as her mind began to wonder exactly how she landed in bed with _him. _Surprisingly, the expected wave of regret and disappointment didn't kick in. She lay still, knowing full well that he was lying next to her, staring at her and waiting for her to answer him.

"I guess, you're not," he said softly before kissing her shoulder and settling in to sleep a little more. Elena could feel his breath on her neck, and felt oddly comforted by it. She didn't dare open her eyes again, but instead began to wonder.

What on earth happened last night?


	2. Another Boring Day

Hello all! Here's another installment! Thanks to my two reviewers! Keep guessing, but you won't find out until the next chapter. ; ) This is probably going to be a pretty short story. I'm thinking maybe 6 or so chapters tops. Anywho, read and enjoy! I hope to have Chapter Three up sometime tonight.

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Elena sighed as she finished up the last of the paper work on her desk. It was another Friday. Another day for her to finish up work and then head home to sit on her couch with her cat, eating take-out. She glanced towards Tseng's office. She could see him sitting at his desk through the open door, reviewing reports. 

"_Bastard. I know he knows," _she thought. Sighing again, she straighten up the papers and stood to take them to him. The office was surprisingly quiet. Reno was off somewhere, no doubtedly following Rude. Where ever Rude went, Reno was sure to follow, similar to a little red puppy dog. Elena quietly made her way across the office and knocked politely on the open door.

"I have the last of my reports," she said. Tseng looked up. He held her gaze for a few awkward moments and then went back to looking over the reports in front of him.

"Set them in my inbox. I'll look over them as soon as I finish with Reno's." Elena nodded and placed them in the neat black organizer. She lingered a moment, hoping he would say something. But he didn't. He cleared his throat, which Elena took as her sign to leave. Turning, she sighed slightly, still trying to cover her disappointment. She knew that he was aware of how she felt about him, but she was beginning to think that he personally didn't address this in order to torture her.

"_Damn him,"_ she thought, mentally kicking herself for falling for an idiot like Tseng. An idiot who was obviously still hung up on some girl who had been dead for quite awhile. Silently, she walked to her desk and began to go through her going home routine of tidying up her desk. Then, she grabbed her black purse and slung it over her shoulder. It was a usual end of a usual day of work. She switched off the light on her desk and walked out of the office, trying to decide which take-out she was going to have tonight.

"Hey, watch where you're going," someone said as Elena nearly collided with them. She looked up into the mischievous eyes of Reno.

"Sorry, I wasn't paying attention," she said briskly, beginning to walk passed Rude, who was behind Reno, and down the hallway.

"Hey, hey. Come back here!" Reno said as he grabbed her arm. Elena stopped and rolled her eyes. She honestly did not want to deal with his shenanigans today. All she wanted to do was get her take-out and go home to sulk in peace.

"Yes, Reno?" she asked as she turned around to face him. She was slightly caught off guard to see a concerned look on Reno's face rather than his normal, constant look of amusement.

"Are you okay? You seem more pissed off than usual," he said, breaking Elena's off-guard moment.

"Yes, I'm fine. Just ready to go home after a long day in the office," she said, removing his hand from her arm.

"Sheesh, you're so uptight, Elena. You need to learn to loosen up," he said with a laugh as he stuck his hands in the pockets of his wrinkled pants. Elena rolled her eyes again.

"And I suppose you know exactly how to loosen me up," she said. Reno grinned.

"Got that right, yo. Come out drinking with me tonight. I found this kick ass bar," he said. Elena sighed and shrugged.

"Please, the last thing I need is another Reno-induced hangover," she said, starting to walk away again.

"It's called Remington's and it's near the square! I'll be there right after I get done here!" he shouted after her. "I'll see you there, right?"

"Not likely!" Elena shouted before stepping out of the door and into the busyness of rush hour.


	3. Back to the Bedroom

Hey! Another installment! Finally, the time arrives to discover who is it that Elena ended up in bed with...Oh, thanks for the reviews! It makes me happy to know you guys are reading and enjoying it! I promise the next chapter is going to be nice and long. Especially I'm only planning on two more chapters after that one. Anywho, enjoy the new chapter!

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Elena opened her eyes. She didn't realized that she had fallen asleep again. Her headache had subsided slightly, but she could still feel a dull throbbing in her forehead. She was on her side, facing a worn dresser. A few of the drawers were opened with shirts and boxers lying out haphazardly over the edge. She couldn't feel the warm body next to her. Slowly, she rolled over and noticed he was gone. Water was running behind a closed door on the opposite side of the room from the dresser. He was in the shower. Elena sat up slowly, trying carefully not to evoke dizziness from her hangover.

"Wow, he is messy," she said quietly looking at the room around her. Clothes were everywhere. She almost couldn't pick out hers from the many white shirts and black suit pants and jackets strewn about. It was intriguing, this room that screamed his name from every corner, and yet had a certain hominess that she wasn't expecting. It was so unlike her spotless apartment across town. Or, at least she thought was across town. She had never been here before and was unsure of her bearings. Carefully, Elena swung her legs out over the edge of the bed and reached down to pick up the nearest white shirt on the floor. Sliding it on, it become obvious it wasn't hers, but surprisingly, she didn't mind. She stood and buttoned it up slightly, thinking that it smelled like him. It was big and hit her mid-thigh.

Curiosity got the better of her as she stepped towards the pictures sitting on the dresser. One was of the Turks: Reno, Rude, Tseng and herself, along with President Shinra. She recognized it from several pictures that had been taken at a company party last year. They all looked serious, excluding Reno who could never look serious. The other picture looked as if it has been taken at the same party, but she hadn't seen it before. It was her laughing, an uncommon action to catch her in. She picked it up and gazed at it, quietly studying the woman behind the glass. She found herself wishing that she could be more like her all the time.

"That's my favorite picture of you," he said from across the room. Elena put the picture down and turned around. She hadn't noticed that the shower was off. "You should wear my clothes more often. They look much better on you than me," Reno said as he stood in the doorway to the bathroom. Elena swallowed as she took in his lean body, wrapped in only a white towel. His bright red hair was wet and crazy, not much different from the messy ponytail that he normally kept it in.

"I didn't know that picture existed. How did you get it?" she asked, leaning against the dresser. Reno shrugged.

"It was in the bunch of pictures that were taken at the party and I knew you would get all uptight if it circulated through the office. So I took it," he said, walking into the room. Elena looked to the ground. He was right. Since when did Reno know so much about her?

"What happened last night?" she asked, glancing up at him. Reno looked slightly confused as he walked over and sat on the edge of the bed.

"You don't remember?" he asked. Elena shook her head.

"To be honest, I'm not even sure I remember where you entered into the evening," she said softly, hugging herself. He sighed, running his fingers through his long, wet hair.

"You-, you honestly don't remember? Anything?" he asked, looking up at her. Elena could tell he was hurt, but she couldn't help it. She did remember that she had a lot to drink last night, a lot more than usual. But everything else was a large blur.

"I-," she started. But then she stopped, contemplating what to say next. The whole situation was awkward. "I'm sorry," she said quietly. Reno shrugged.

"It's not your fault. I guess I didn't realize how much you had to drink before I got there," he said, looking at the ground. Elena reached down and started gathering up her clothing. Locating her black bra and underwear was easy, but finding the rest of her work clothes, turned out to be a little more difficult. Elena threw aside several articles of Reno's clothing, wondering just how crazy things had gotten last night. Reno watched her from the bed, wanting to say something but keeping quiet. She located her pants and pulled them on, but didn't seem to see her white shirt anywhere. Reno could sense that she was trying desperately to get out of his apartment as quickly as she could.

"You can just leave it. I'll find it later and wash it for you. Unless that's your only shirt," he said. Elena stopped and looked up at him. She had just picked up her black jacket.

"Okay," she said after a few moments of silence. She shrugged on the jacket and turned to walk out of the room, still gripping her bra and underwear that were now waded into a little, black ball. The living room was a stark difference to the bedroom. It was clean, organized and yet still homey. Elena noted the gamestation hooked up to the large TV as she reached down to pick up her purse from a recliner. Ever the child at heart was Reno. Silently, she stuffed her undergarments into her purse and walked across the room to the front door, pausing to slip into her shoes. She turned around to see Reno behind her.

"I'm sorry," she said again, trying not to look into his eyes too long.

"No, I'm the one who's sorry," he said quietly. Elena bit her bottom lip and turned to leave. Silently, she opened the door and stepped out into the hallway. Reno slowly shut the door behind her as she began walking away quickly, hugging herself.

"_I can't believe she doesn't remember," _he though as all the memories of the night before danced around in his head. Of all the things that were said. He leaned his still damp forehead against the cold door and prayed to the gods that Elena would remember.


	4. Back to That Night

Hey! Sorry it took me so long to get this up. I had it wrtten and ready to upload last week, but and my computer were being a butt... Anywho, here's the latest installment! I'm going to update either tonight or tomorrow. And I've already got an idea for another Elena fanfic that I'm going to start on soon. And I'm thinking it's not going to be Relena this time...Anywho, enjoy the latest chapter!

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Elena sighed as she walked into her darkened and empty apartment. She could feel the beginnings of a headache tugging at her temples.

"Here, Ten-ten," she said loudly as she kicked the front door shut. A soft meow could be heard from the shallow depths of the small apartment. Stumbling in the dark, Elena made her way to the small kitchen. She set the bag of take-out on the counter and flipped the light switch on.

"Ten-ten! Dinner!" she shouted again. A snow white cat lazily wandered into the kitchen and meowed. "Yes, I know I'm late. But there was a longer than usual line at Mizo's," she said, loosening her tie. The cat sat down and stared up at her. Elena sighed and rolled her eyes as she pulled the tie off.

"God, this is pathetic. I'm having a conversation with a cat." She looked down at the cat. "What are you looking at?" After sitting the tie on the counter, Elena reached up and opened a cabinet, revealing a box of cat food. She took the box and filled the small, plastic bowl that sat on the ground at her feet. Humming softly, she then put up the cat food, grabbed her take-out and walked into the tiny living room, decorated with a few pictures on the walls of her and her sister. She kicked her shoes off before settling on the couch and reaching for the remote. Keeping with ritual, she turned the TV on to the evening news and began to eat. Through the boring, fake new banter, thoughts of Tseng pervaded her self-induced isolation. Elena stood, take-out in hand, and walked over to her window that looked out over the city. Bright lights glittered into her darkened living room that was illuminated slightly by the glow of the TV. Out there were people living their lives. Enjoying their lives. And here she was. Sitting in a dark apartment, eating take-out and sulking over a stupid crush that wouldn't die.

"Pathetic," she murmured. Looking over her shoulder, Elena caught sight of her purse, abandoned on the counter in the kitchen. Reno's invitation sifted through her mind. Did she really want to go? Memories of the last time she let Reno take her out drinking drifted into her mind. Memories of nearly getting kicked out of the bar and horrible hangovers that lasted all the next day. But anything was better than sitting in her apartment alone, wishing she were out having fun. And, she had tomorrow off so she would have enough time to get over whatever hangover came her way. Her mind was made. Abandoning the news and the take-out, Elena grabbed her purse and left the apartment, hoping that she could find this supposedly "kick ass" bar that Reno was at.

Kick ass was not the first phrase that entered Elena's mind when she arrived at Remington's. Granted, the aged exterior promised that the bar had character. Elena sighed and walked in. It was smoky, but not full of people. Elena looked around, her eyes scanning the room for Reno's bright red hair. He was no where to be found. As usual. She rolled her eyes, quietly kicking herself for talking herself into coming. But there was nothing she could. And while she was there, she might as well have a drink. An opening at the bar revealed several open stools. Elena slid into one and waited until the barkeep looked her way.

"And what will the lady have this evening?" he asked, his gray eyes still twinkling with amusement from a conversation he was previously engaged in.

"One beer," she said, sitting her purse on the bar in front of her.

"Want to start a tab?"

"Why not?" Elena said as she shrugged. He smiled and reached into the cooler. He pulled out a bottle, popped the cap and slid it across the bar to her.

"Now what's a pretty girl like yourself doing out drinking by yourself? Meeting someone?" he asked as he leaned against his side of the bar. Elena took a long swig, emptying a good one-third of the beer and set the bottle down.

"I was meeting someone, but it looks like he's not coming," she said, tracing her finger around the bottles mouth.

"Boyfriend? Fiancé? Secret lover?" he asked, thoroughly amused by Elena, who had just managed to nearly drain the bottle with her next swig.

"Boyfriend? Secret lover? Heh!" she said with a laugh. "Try idiotic co-worker who is always trying to drag me out to bars." The barkeep reached down and grabbed another bottle, stopping to pop the cap off before sliding it across to Elena.

"So, idiotic co-worker...something tells me he knew you needed to get out to drink tonight," he said. Elena stopped mid-swig and place the bottle down.

"Is it that obvious?" she asked.

"Well, you walked in looking like you had a stick up your ass, so I would say it's obvious," he said, trying to hold off his laughter. Elena shook her head and finished off the first bottle, then reached for the second one.

"Oh, if only you knew the whole, freakin' story," she said, starting to feel the alcohol barely begin to prick on her bloodstream.

"Well, I'm here all night and we're not too busy," he said.

A couple more beers and a few shots later, Reno still had not shown up, but by this point, Elena didn't care. She was feeling buzzed and had made a new friend out of Joe, the barkeep, who not only sympathized with her, but agreed that Tseng was an arrogant bastard and idiot for not returning her feelings. At the moment, Joe was busy at the other end of the bar, tending to the other patrons that had wandered in as the night progressed. Elena took the time to look around her. The bar was actually picking up and most of the tables were filled with people drinking and hitting on each other. She sneered slightly at the thought of everyone hitting on each other. Here she was, sitting a bar, telling her life story to the barkeep while others around her were scoring.

"_I should be getting hit on," _she thought. _"But what's the use? It's not like I'd actually go home with anyone." _

"Is anyone sitting here?" someone asked. Elena looked up to see a very handsome, blonde man standing next to her. She shook her head no and watched as he slid onto the stool next to here. "Come here often?" he asked.

"No. This is actually my first time," she said, taking another, much smaller drink. "You?"

"Ah, I've been here a few times before. I thought I hadn't seen you before. I'd remember someone like you," he said, smiling as he flagged down Joe. Elena took another drink of her beer, trying not to giggle. Hadn't she just been mentally complaining that no one had been hitting on her? Then this incredibly gorgeous guys waltzes right up to her. It was as if he read her mind. Oh, the joys of fate.

"I'm Tristan," he said, extending his hand. Elena accepted it.

"Elena," she said, shaking it.

"Wow, nice grip. What do you do for a living?" he said, half-joking. Elena smiled and took another sip of her beer.

"I work for Shinra. I'm a Turk."

"No, shit. I bet that's a fun job," he said. Elena giggled.

"Yea, if you like pushing paperwork and working with an insanely OCD boss," she said, finishing off another beer.

"What? Don't you go out and kick people's ass?" he asked.

"Yes, but what most people don't realize is the mountain of paperwork we have to do after kicking someone's ass," Elena said before taking another drink. Joe walked up. "Hey, another one for the lady and one for myself," Tristan said to Joe. Joe glanced over at Elena.

"You sure you're okay for another one?" he asked, glancing warily at Tristan.

"I'm a Turk, damnit. My tolerance level is higher than the average person," she said with a laugh. Joe shrugged and pulled out the beers.

"Whatever you say, dear. I just want to make sure you can get home safe." Elena took the beer.

"Don't worry, Joe. I always get home safe. Granted it's not always my home," she said winking at Joe as she took another drink. She had no idea what possessed her to add on that last part. It was unlike her. All of her behavior tonight was out of character. But Elena figured she was due for some time to let her hair down and live dangerously. Tristan grinned as he took a drink of his own. Joe stood for a moment watching the two, before being flagged at the opposite end of the bar.

"You're a fiesty one, aren't you?" Tristan asked, watching Elena. She shrugged and laughed.

"I'm normally not like this at all. At work, I'm so responsible and follow all the rules. I bet Reno and Rude would shit their pants if they saw me now. Well, maybe not Reno, he'd probably laugh. And Rude probably wouldn't either. He doesn't show emotion. But Tseng. Now he would totally shit his pants," she rambled on. Tristan leaned in closer to her, his eyes taking in her animated face as she talked, then casually moving down her neck to her white work shirt that had the top three buttons undone.

"I really need to get out more often," Elena finished as she set her bottle on the bar, completely oblivious to Tristan's blatant examination. Luckily for Elena, it didn't go unnoticed.

"Hey, maybe we could get out of here," Tristan said smoothly, as he placed his hand on her thigh. "You know, go somewhere less...smoky?" Elena looked at his lust-filled eyes and then stared down at his hand that was rubbing her upper thigh.

"Um, well...," she said. _"Damn, he works fast," _she thought. _"Quick. How do I say no?" _She looked up at him and smiled. "Eh, not tonight, buddy," she said, lifting his hand off her thigh. Quickly, his hand was back on her thigh.

"Come on, you know you want to," he crooned, leaning in closer to her face. Elena shook her head.

"Not really," she said. Tristan leaned in and tried to kiss her. Elena dodged it with her hand.

"Stop. I said no. And get your filthy hand off my thigh," she said, getting noticeably irritated. Tristan sat back and glared at her.

"You're begging for it," he said.

"I think she said no," a familiar voice said. Elena looked to her right and saw bright red.

"Who are you?" Tristan asked, irritated that his mac session was being interrupted.

"Reno! It's about damn time you got here," Elena said as she slid off the stool. "I've been waiting F-O-R-E-V-E-R," she said, crossing her arms. Reno shrugged and smiled.

"What can I say? I like being fashionably late. And you said you weren't coming," he said. Elena rolled her eyes.

"Typical." Tristan looked back and forth between the two.

"I think you're in my seat, yo," Reno said, acknowledging his presence. Tristan nodded and quickly left. Elena giggled as she and Reno slid onto the stools, just as Joe showed back up.

"Ah, Reno, my man! Good to see you! The usual?" he asked, glad that someone had shown up to take care of Elena. Reno nodded.

"Yea, and maybe another one for Elena," he said, noticing her bottle was nearing empty. Joe raised his eyebrows at Elena.

"It's okay. I'm fine," she said. "Besides, Reno is here. He'll get me home safe." Joe shrugged and got the two their drinks. "Where the hell, have you been?" Elena asked once Joe left. Reno shrugged.

"Making the rounds. I try to hit up a few different bars on Fridays," he said, taking a swig. "This is actually my last bar for the evening."

"Oh, Mr. Popular," Elena said. Reno looked at her, perplexed. Elena didn't joke around that often. He figured she must be under a good buzz.

"You know, I think I like drunk Elena better than normal Elena," he said. Elena put her bottle down, feigning offense.

"Excuse me, but I am not drunk. I do not get drunk," she said, trying hard to keep a straight face. She failed miserably.

"You are drunk," Reno said, laughing.

"What, like you've never gotten drunk before?" Elena said, taking another drink.

"Of course, but never with you," he said. Elena giggled.

"Well, then. I guess we're just going to have to change that, aren't we," she said, leaning in close to Reno. Her eyes were alight with a conspirative glow.

"Are you trying to seduce me?" he asked. Elena turned back to her drink.

"No, I'm not trying to seduce you. I'm only trying to get you drunk. So, drink up, buddy."


	5. Confusion, Hangover & a visit from Tseng

Here it is! Another chapter! Thanks for reading and reviewing guys! Hopefully I'll get this finished up in the next few chapters. Enjoy!

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Elena pushed open the door to her apartment and stumbled in, her head throbbing once more. The cat ran up and rubbed against her leg, obviously happy to see her owner after her sudden disappearance last night.

"Hey, baby," Elena muttered, her brain still foggy from her drinking binge and now also reeling from the knowledge that she woke up in Reno's bed. Elena walked over to the couch and collapsed on it, leaving her purse on the floor. Ten-ten hopped up on her stomach, causing Elena to cringe. She wasn't one to get sick to her stomach while hung-over, but cats jumping on her stomach didn't help the situation.

"Oh, Ten-ten. I feel like an idiot," she said as she began stroking the soft fur of the cat. "Something happened last night. Well, something other than the obvious, and I can't remember what it was." Ten-ten sat and stared quizzically at her owner. "I shouldn't have drank so much last night, but god, I was so pissed." Elena closed her eyes and tried to focus on what happened. She remembered talking to Joe, the barkeep. She remembered being pissed that Reno hadn't showed. And then there was the blonde guy, Christian or Tristan or something. She remembered feeling his hand on her thigh and wanting him to go away. But then, someone stopped him. Someone with bright red hair. Elena opened her eyes. Reno stepped in when Tristan was trying to get her to leave with him. But there was still something more. Elena sensed that wasn't the big thing that she needed to remember. Slowly, scattered memories were beginning to form. At that moment, there was a loud pounding on her door. Who would be pounding on her door on her day off? Elena's heart leapt. Perhaps, it was him. She ran to the door, throwing the cat aside on the way. She tried concentrating on the door, and not the pounding in her head. Breathlessly, she opened the door. But her smiled faded when she saw Tseng standing on her doorstep. Odd, since only the day before she would have jumped for joy at the sight of Tseng on her doorstep.

"Why the hell aren't you answering your phone? I've been trying to get a hold of you since last night," he barked. He took in her disheveled appearance and oversized shirt. "Am I interrupting anything?" he asked, appearing annoyed. Elena sighed and turned to go look through her purse for her cell phone.

"Sorry, sir. I, ah-, I guess I didn't hear it ring. What did you want?" she asked, digging though the purse.

"I need you to come in to finish up some paperwork this morning. Do you think you can handle it, or are you nursing a hangover as well?" he said calmly, as if there wasn't anything wrong with his being in an employee's apartment on her morning off, demanding that she come into work. Elena stopped shuffling through her purse. The cell phone wasn't in there.

"Damnit," she said, wondering where it could be. She placed her hand to her temple, willing the headache to subside.

"Elena, can you come in or not?" Tseng asked, crossing his arms. Elena looked at him, nearly in tears. Here she was, obviously distraught and hung-over and all he could do was stand there and demand to know if she was capable of coming into work that day. Elena wondered how she could ever have feelings towards someone so cold, so unfeeling.

"I, I don't know," she said, swallowing her tears. Tseng sighed and shook his head.

"Never mind. I'll get Rude to come in," he said as he walked towards the door. He pause momentarily before walking out. "Oh, and you might want to check with Reno about your lost phone." Elena's eyes widened as Tseng quietly shut the door behind him. Elena sat on the couch and ran her fingers through her blonde hair.

"As if I wasn't confused enough," she said. Memories, faint as whispers, tugged at her mind. "Reno," she murmured as she remembered a little more. "I need to talk to him." Elena stood, and then nearly fell over from lightheadedness. She couldn't tell if it was from the hangover or Tseng's visit or the shock of what she remembered. Another knock sounded on the door. Elena glared at it, assuming that Tseng had changed his mind and came back demanding that she go to work right this instance. All feelings of love towards him had vanished completely.

"What else do you want?" she muttered as she walked towards the door. The knock sounded again, a little louder this time. Elena reached the door and pulled it open. All annoyance left in an instant.

"You left your cell phone at my place. Tseng's been trying to get a hold of you," he said, holding out the little black object in his hand. Elena stared at it, then ventured to look into Reno's face. She could still see the hurt in his eyes and could hear it in his voice.

"I,...I remember," she whispered. Reno's eyes widened. "I remember what you said, last night." Then, she leaned forward and kissed him.


	6. Remembering and a Chance

Here it is, the last chapter. Sorry if it seems a little short. I felt that if I drew the story out any longer it would get boring and convaluted. And besides that, I kind of like the flow and direction it headed in. I love to leave a little something up to my reader's imagination. And who knows, I might go back and do a little work on the last section. I still feel like it needs a little something else, but I can't figure out what just yet. Anywho, I hope you enjoy it! Hopefully, I'll start work on another one soon or try to finish up one of my other stories. See you!

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Elena giggled as she stumbled slightly out of the bar.

"You sure you're not too drunk?" Reno asked as he protectively put one arm around his intoxicated co-worker.

"I'm fine! Would you quit worrying,"she said rolling her eyes and pushing his arm off. "Though I'm slightly pissed that I didn't get you drunk." Reno shrugged as they casually strolled down the street.

"I guess my tolerance is a bit higher than you expected," he said with his trademark grin. Elena looked out at the street.

"I should get a cab or something," she said.

"Nah, let's walk. It's a beautiful night and you, missy, need to sober up a little. Plus, I want to make sure you get home safe." Elena looked over at him, a little surprised.

"Okay, let's walk then." The two walked in silence for a bit, listening to the sound of the city around them.

"So, why did you really come to the bar tonight?" Reno asked. "It was a little out of character for you." Elena shrugged.

"I don't know. I was just sitting on my couch, watching the news and eating take-out and I realized how sad and pathetic that was. So, I decided to come and find you," she said.

"You were sulking about Tseng again, weren't you?" Reno said. Something in his voice caught Elena's attention. It wasn't his normal teasing. There was a hint of sadness, maybe?

"Yea, I suppose I was," she admitted. "It's just, I know he knows. Sometimes I think he ignores me just to torture me." Reno shook his head.

"Tseng's an ass. It would do you good to get over him and fast," he said. "You deserve better than that." Elena stopped and looked at him.

"Since when did you care?" she asked. Reno stopped walking and looked at her.

"I've always cared," he said softly. Elena just stared at him. This softer side of Reno was something foreign and new to her. Reno sighed and rolled his eyes. "It's, ah-, I just-, I see the way he treats you and, you, you deserve someone who really cares about you. Someone who will treat you right."

"I suppose. But I can't seem to find that guy," she said, looking to the ground.

"What about the one standing in front of you?" Elena looked up, taken aback. She stared at him a moment, not really knowing what to say. "Look, I know this is probably out of the blue and crazy, but I, I really care about you, Elena. I see how miserable you are, and it kills me. I want to see you smile more often, like tonight." She stared into his eyes, and thought back over the years she and Reno had been working together. Everything started to make sense. All the invitations out, all the little things he did to watch out for her. He cared for her all that time, and she had never noticed because she was blinded by Tseng. The right one was in front of her the whole time.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything. Forget it," Reno said as he shoved his hands in his pockets and started to walk away. Elena grabbed his arm and stopped him.

"Do you really mean it? Everything you said?" He nodded. Elena looked away, feeling confused. He could sense her confusion. Perhaps that's what led him to do what he did next. Reno didn't know what possessed him to do it, it just felt right. He leaned in and kissed her. But what shocked him most, was that she kissed back.

* * *

"So, are you going to invite me in, or just stand and kiss me in the hallway?" Reno asked when they had stopped kissing. Elena giggled and stepped back to let him in the apartment. "You remember everything now? I'm amazed," he said as he walked over and sat on the couch. Ten-ten ran over and hopped on his lap.

"Well, not everything. I remember most of what you said, but I still have no clue as to how I ended up naked in your bed," she said as she shut the front door and walked over to sit next to him on the couch. Reno grinned mischieviously and glanced at Elena

"All I can say about that is it's a shame you can't remember," he said, scratching behind Ten-ten's ear. Elena rolled her eyes and shook her head. Despite her recent development of feelings for him, Reno was still annoying as hell at times. She watched as Reno set the cat on the floor and begin playing with it. It all seemed surreal. That she would spend one night with Reno and suddenly her whole outlook on things would change. Sure, there was still a little bit of feeling left there for Tseng, things like that don't disappear overnight. But she could feel a definite tug on her heart towards Reno's direction.

"So," Reno said as he sat back and looked at Elena. "I know you can't just shut off your feelings for Tseng, but um, are you willing to give us a try?" he said softly. Elena looked at the ground, thinking, remembering. All the things Reno had said last night. All the promises that he wasn't like Tseng. All the gentle caresses and kisses. She looked up at him and started deep into his eyes. Was she willing to intrust her heart to him? Maybe not completely yet, but she was willing to give him a chance. She nodded.

"Yes," she said softly. Reno smiled, and leaned in to kiss her once again.


End file.
